Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hand tools, namely shovels and other types of implements for removing material from the bottom of a trench.
Description of the Prior Art
My invention relates to a device for the removal, relocation, or other manipulation of excess soil, gravel, mud, sludge, water, rubble, or other debris from trenches, elongated holes, or the like. More particularly, the invention provides a means for the safe removal of material from trenches, especially deep trenches, which involves a substantial improvement over the existing practice of climbing down into the trench in order to reach the excess material.
The task of removing soil and other debris from trenches is required when installing buried utility components, including electrical and telephone lines. Cutting the trench bottom to a precise elevation is of vital importance for certain installations, particularly gravity drains. As the demand for construction and technology increases, so does demand for efficiency in all aspects of the construction process. Attempts to create a more efficient tool to perform the task of preparing trenches for utilization is apparent from the prior art.
Early scoop devices pivotally mounted to an elongated rod include the devices shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 333,173 issued to Taylor and U.S. Pat. No. 1,271,287 issued to Daly. These scoops included an open end to receive the debris and then lifted upwardly from the trench. U.S. Pat. No. 625,629 issued to Wyatt discloses a shovel or scoop fixed to the end of the elongated rod with a bend in the rod rather than a pivot connection of the scoop attached to the rod to enable the tool to be extended down into the trench. A different approach is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,220,666 issued to McCormick wherein a shovel is pivotally mounted to the bottom of the elongated rod. In the U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,277 issued to Yensen, the shovel is offset relative to the elongated rod and does not pivot.
More recent trenching tools or shovels are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,141 issued to Martin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,129 issued to Byrd; U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,708 issued to Capriotti; U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,911 issued to Engelsiepen; and D474,082 issued to Leiser. These tools include a shovel or scoop fixedly mounted to the bottom of an elongated rod with neither means to adjust the cutting angle nor other advantages of capacity or functionality.
Despite the prior art devices, there is still a need for a trenching device that provides a means for the safe removal of various types of material, including liquids, from any hole or trench, and specifically deep trenches. The efficiency of use of a trenching device depends upon the construction of the scoop relative to the handle. My invention locates the connection between the handle or elongated pole and the scoop in such a manner to allow the scoop to be adjusted to an ergonomic angle or to change the function of the device. The design also incorporates a balance feature, which allows for ease of unloading by causing the loaded scoop to favor rotation on the axis of the pole handle when removed from the trench. More specifically, the connection point between the handle and scoop is positioned closer to the forward open end of the scoop as compared to the rearward open end with the scoop defining an interior volume greater between the connection point and the rearward end as compared to between the connection point and the forward end, which causes the device, upon removal from the trench, to favor rotation on the axis of the pole handle and naturally to tend to invert, thereby automatically emptying the material within the scoop.